Politics
Since the press freedom watchdog organization Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) started operations in Venezuela in 2002, it had never recorded so many attacks against journalists and media. This is the reason why this NGO did not hesitate to describe 2009 as the "most violent year" for freedom of expression in the country.

The remarks were made by Ewald Scharfenberg, the executive director of IPYS, during the presentation of the report on the situation of freedom of expression, which recounted 107 incidents against journalists and media companies between January and October 2009.

Scharfenberg said that the figure is higher than any numbers recorded previously, even in 12-month periods.

"There is a dramatic escalation," Scharfenberg said. The journalist predicted that next year the situation will worsen because of parliamentary elections scheduled for September 2010. To support this statement, he recalled that between May 2007 and May 2008, when the referendums on the constitutional reform were held, there were 90 events whereas between May 2008 and May 2009, when local elections and the constitutional amendment referendum were held, incidents amounted to 85.

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas